The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council, the youth wing of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, on Monday backed calls for an ‘internal revolution’ against political, traditional, religious and opinion leaders in Igboland.
The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra had on Sunday accused Igbo leaders of betrayal, saying they were responsible for the plight of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, and other pro-Biafran activists.

MASSOB, which spoke through its leader, Comrade Uchenna Madu, threatened to organise an internal revolution against the concerned Igbo leaders if Kanu was not released from prison before Christmas.

Reacting to the threat, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council said it would support any plan to “sanitise” Igboland and “punish Igbo politicians who have not done anything to improve the lives of Ndigbo.”

OYC, which spoke through the chairman of the committee of state chairmen, Alex Okemiri, said it was already compiling a list of the concerned politicians.

The Ohanaeze youth wing noted that while Igbo complained of marginalisation by the Federal Government, their leaders were also marginalising them at home.

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council agrees with MASSOB that most Igbo political actors have failed to put the interest of Ndigbo first in their act and need to be taught some lessons.

“While there is obvious external marginalisation of Ndigbo, there is also the internal marginalisation by our own people.

“What do our governors do with the money that comes to Igboland? Most of them use it to buy land, houses and choice properties all over the world. Some of them travel all over the world at every opportunity. They owe pensioners and workers for months. They do not care about the youths,” Okemiri said in the statement.

He added, “We are now compiling a list of such politicians and we shall hand over the list to MASSOB for a proper sanction while we shall also carry out our own sanctions.”

Specifically, the irate youths warned that the concerned leaders would soon be expelled from Igboland, if they refused to change.

OYC said, “In fact, if by December this year, such failed politicians fail to turn a new leaf, they will leave Igboland for us because we cannot tolerate such people in our midst again.

“They cannot stay in Igboland and use our resources to better only their lives and the lives of their girlfriends and hangers-on while their subjects suffer unduly.”

They also warned contractors of Igbo extraction, who got Federal Government contracts for projects in Igboland but failed to execute them.

“Igbo contractors also given contracts in Igboland who fail to execute such contracts creditably will also face the music,” the group said.